Having watched this episode again, I think it's a bit daft the way Gan, Villa and Cally all get captured. Given that contact with had been lost you'd have thought they'd be a bit more careful, and taken the sort of precautions Avon takes when he eventually decides to go down.

One of my favourite episodes. Its treatment of colonialism is particularly interesting - particularly the uncomfortable fact that the elite of the colonised planet tend to prefer the company of the Federation officials to that of their fellow countrymen, whom they clearly despise.

Radio 4 listeners will no doubt have noticed that Selma is played by Ambridge's own legal eagle Usha Gupta._________________This calls for a subtle blend of psychology and extreme violence

One of my favourite episodes. Its treatment of colonialism is particularly interesting - particularly the uncomfortable fact that the elite of the colonised planet tend to prefer the company of the Federation officials to that of their fellow countrymen, whom they clearly despise.

I saw a short TV programme the other day about the possible future of genetic engineering, and it got me thinking about B7...

From "Weapon" and the Clonemasters, we know the Federation has some form of genetic engineering technology, and we also know that they'll do all sorts of things to keep control of the population - suppressant drugs, brainwashing and memory programming, propaganda, show trials etc...

So did they also have a program of tinkering with people's genes to make them "better" citizens?

I've posted this in the Horizon thread, because in this context I also remembered something the Kommissar said in this episode -
"So you're a Resister. Some malfunction of the genes, I suppose. It throws up a Resister about every hundred thousand. Mostly they're detected in infancy."_________________

I saw a short TV programme the other day about the possible future of genetic engineering, and it got me thinking about B7...

From "Weapon" and the Clonemasters, we know the Federation has some form of genetic engineering technology, and we also know that they'll do all sorts of things to keep control of the population - suppressant drugs, brainwashing and memory programming, propaganda, show trials etc...

So did they also have a program of tinkering with people's genes to make them "better" citizens?

I've posted this in the Horizon thread, because in this context I also remembered something the Kommissar said in this episode -
"So you're a Resister. Some malfunction of the genes, I suppose. It throws up a Resister about every hundred thousand. Mostly they're detected in infancy."

Well that's a very interesting point Futs, and I think you've got something there. I'm afraid I've got nothing to add or interesting to say

Gene manipulation is a double edged sword in a society like the Federation's; create a docile race of sheep and you weaken programs such as science, engineering, military, etc, create a race of enhanced humans and you run the risk of a "Khan (StarTrek)" emerging._________________"Women, food, and inflicting pain -- in no particular order."
- The Fifth Legion

The tactic would be to create rigid class divisions where each class has little contact between each other and tailor genetic manipulation to suit the function of each class in society. This was hinted at in B7 with Alphas, Betas, Gammas, etc. That way you can create docile sheep that happy to shovel dirt in poor conditions for not much pay at one end, and frenzied go-getters who care for no one at the other._________________As I was saying, we all have to learn to live with disappointment

You would have to pass strict laws against offspring between classes, offspring between Earthlings and non-Earthlings, monitor people arriving from other planets, and check the DNA of every child born. After you've surrounded yourself with machines and weapons, mindless men and heartless mutoids; and when they've done your work, and the machines have done your thinking, what is there left in you that feels?! _________________"Women, food, and inflicting pain -- in no particular order."
- The Fifth Legion

I don't think you have to pas laws to do it. In fact, I'd go as far to say that it's better if you don't. You make people embrace a 'pseudo-law' by making something appear very undesirable. When you make a law, you impose a limit that can be put into question. People have to not want to cross the limit in the first place.

Take something simple as the food one eats and suppose that the food was where a lot of the 'dosing' was happening. What if the food fit for 'Alphas' was made unpalatable for 'Betas' and downright sickness inducing for the 'Gammas' and 'Deltas'. This would hinder social relations between groups because one then stops, for example, inviting Mr and Mrs Beta to your Alpha soirees. Furthermore, you're less likely to meet the Betas because you're rarely in the same places. Bars, restaurants, fast-food, supermarkets etc, all catering to individual groups with targeted products and pricing.

You apply the above to other lifestyle needs such as choice of home, suburb, media consumption, entertainments, occupation etc. so that different classes rarely meet, and when they do, they have little to talk about and make a connection with anyway:

(Beta) 'Did you catch the startling revelations into market manipulation in other territories last night? That marketing company looks set to provide great revenue for investors'
(Gamma) 'What? I was watching the football. The 'ammers nearly 'ad 'em, you know'
(Beta) *Thinks - Moron.
(Gamma) *Thinks - Toff git

You don't even need to have Alphas, Betas etc labelled explicitly where each knows what themselves and the others are. They all regard themselves as 'people' of a particular kind where the 'others' just aren't up to their standard. The Deltas can even be made to despise the 'upper' classes because they see them as greedy, not very nice etc._________________As I was saying, we all have to learn to live with disappointment